Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Older People: A background paper aims to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, reduce obesity, and supports The Health of Older People Strategy (Ministry of Health 2002).
The background paper highlights how the Food and Nutrition Guidelines can be specifically applied to healthy older people. It also informs the health education resources for the general public including Eating for Healthy Older People/Te kai tōtika e ora ai te hunga kaumātua.
It is envisaged that the Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Older People: A background paper will provide sound and practical advice for health practitioners including dietitians, nutritionists, doctors, nurses, primary health care providers, health promoters, and others working with older people in the practice of healthy nutrition.
Purpose
This paper has been written to:
- provide up-to-date policy advice on the nutrition, physical activity, lifestyle and environmental determinants for achieving and maintaining the best possible health in healthy older people
- provide reliable and consistent information to use as a basis for programmes and education to support healthy older people (eg, district health board and regional public health programmes, and technical background for health education resources for healthy older people)
- guide and support health practitioners (including dietitians, nutritionists, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, primary health care providers, health promoters and physical activity providers) in the practice of healthy nutrition and physical activity, and provide them with a detailed source of information
- identify health inequalities relating to nutrition and physical activity so that support and education for healthy older adults can be targeted to reduce inequalities in health between population groups.